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Thursday, January 28, 2016

This post will catch you up on all my ten minute sketches, that's partly because it's been a few days since I've made a new one, I've been a bit obsessed lately over a medium I haven't used in quite some time so I've neglect the TMS', my next post will have details. As in the last post these are all pen.

This one was a test for a minimalist landscape design. It came out with kind of a graphical feel, I kind of like it for it's simplicity and boldness.

This is a vintage gas station scene based on a photo I took in Wallsburg, Utah. I may make a drawing of this.

A 1932 Ford tudor hot rod sedan, just for the sake of sharpening my drawing skills.

This one is based on a photo I took in Lynndyl, Utah. I move some things around a bit and added the truck. I think it came out a bit busy so if I do a drawing or painting of it I'll have to cut some clutter.

And finally my last TMS, a barn and trees based on a photo I took in Midway, Utah. This subject will make an appearance in my next post.

Tuesday, January 26, 2016

I've been slacking off on posting my ten minute sketches so I'll catch up in this post. These are all done in pen. I think pen is the ideal medium for these exercises, there's no temptation to erase and the lines are automatically dark, you have no choice but to be bold and expressive.

Another rusty old Ford truck, this one with a wheel misplaced and backed by a chicken coop, I took the reference photo in Lynndyl, Utah.

This one was to test an idea for a painting. Luckily I did this before starting a painting. The shed is too centered, if I make a painting I'll move the apple tree and shed quite a bit closer to the right edge, I'll also replace the tractor with something that doesn't look so awkward, probably with a more straight on view.

Just a simple rural scene based loosely on a photo I took in Morgan County.

A vintage country store with gas pumps based on a photo I took in Boulder City, Utah.

This scene is semi-fictitious. The building exists in Eureka, Utah, I added the visible gas pump and antique car. I really like the feel of this design. I think I'll make a pen drawing based on this sketch some day.

Turns out I'm farther behind than I thought, so to keep this blog post at a reasonable length I'll catch up some more in a day or two.

Sunday, January 24, 2016

It's become kind of a thing for me now, attending a weekly class during winter. Since I work full time it's hard to work attend one of those week long workshops put on by professional artists, usually in another state, which means traveling time and expenses to boot. So, instead I find a local artist I like who holds classes on a weeknight. Last winter I attended classes with Candace Rideout Getting input from a more advanced artist can be very helpful and keep you from falling into a rut. After a while it's easy to miss fundamental issues that could be resolved to make your art that much better.
Something as simple as repetitious patterns can seem invisible until someone else points them out. Another advantage to attending classes is the opportunity to meet other student artists and feed off of each other's energy, everybody has something unique and valuable to contribute. This winter I started attending classes with Susan Jarvis. I've attended classes with Susan in the past but it's been over two years, I decided it would be worthwhile to go back. This painting is the result;

"Kings of Autumn"

Acrylic, 24" X 12" on 3/4" deep cradled panel

Original - $265

While the reference photo was mine, taken in the Uinta Mountain Wilderness near Mill Hollow and the composition was mine Susan helped me tweak the painting to help me make it the best I can make it. All those little things can add up to make a much stronger overall impact.